Buying a Mobile Phone - Advice Needed!

[The Sacred Voice]

I spent some time thinking about where on the board I should post this because Science and Technology held too much emphasis on actual SCIENCE if you know what I mean.. and Computers & Information Technology seemed too heavily focused on the finer technical side of computing and so on.. so I reckon that with the sub text of "advice and experience" then this section fits the bill... anyway onto my question!

I've been thinking about buying a mobile phone for some time but the onslaught of networks, models, rates and other technical bits and bobs that come with buying a phone are just going waaaaay over my head

I'm aware that networks and companies probably vary from country to country but if people could just provide me with reviews of phones they've found particularly useful or networks that are helpful/generally good then that'd be good.

Don't worry about money as an object I would just like to hear people's thoughts.

Just so people know, the main networks in the UK are Vodafone, O2, Orange, T-Mobile ... well those are the ones that immediately spring to mind - I'm not sure whether there's any variation in other countries I quite like the idea of having a camera with my phone so if anyone could recommend any phones with good cameras as well then that'd be great.

Any other details that would help feel free to leave a post and I'll get back to it when I can.
Thanks

[Astral07]

hm, Nokia N95 would be a great choice...but it's big and not that cheap but you said money is no object so...Anyway, you didn't state for what you'll be using it, if you want a nice little phone with a sweet camera and top MOBILE phone characteristics, i'd go with Sony Ericsson W810i, a best buy IMO. I said MOBILE phone characteristics because N95 is closer to a laptop than a mobile phone
you can read lots of reviews if you just google them, but basically, i'd recommend one of the two, depending on your usage of them

that's all from me, good luck

[Dustwave]

In the UK go for Vodafone.

The question is, what are you looking for in a phone? Is a camera enough or do you want all the other mumbo jumbo aswell?

I wouldn't recommend the Nokia N95, it has massive battery problems. It's LOADED with every possible feature you can think of - that you most likely won't use - and because of that the battery runs dry within 20 hours, or slightly more if you turn most crap off. And i absolutely HATE the N series interface. Chances are that you won't ever use 90% of it's features, making half the buttons on it useless, which really doesn't help in the ease of use. The N series are all freakin ugly too, though of course that's entirely an opinion. Also, Nokia might once have been manufacturer of undestroyable phones, that's no longer the case. Their phones physically brake just as often as other brands nowadays and they seem to have a hell of a lot of software problems.

Also, if you're going with Sony Ericsson, the W810i is kinda outdated, get the K850 instead. Looks the same (as do allmost all SE phones), but is more up to date.

Personally i'm a big fan of Samsung as they make technically sound phones, have a brilliant interface (unlike half of the other brands) and they usually look good aswell. Wouldn't expect less from the second biggest phone manufacturer. I have a Samsung U700 now. Absolutely love it. Everything just works the way it's supposed to work, sound quality is good, interface is great, and the 3.2mp camera makes nice pictures. Though it has to be said that it is slightly delicate. So if you're kinda clumsy or have really big hands i wouldn't advice it. Also, if you do want to make some use of internet features, the U700 supports HSDPA (at 3.6Mbps downloading full size movies on your phone comes in sight ), EDGE and of course GPRS.



If the camera is sort of your focus, have a look at the Samsung G600 or the Sony Ericsson K850.

For reviews and just about anything about mobile phones, check out GSM Arena.

[PhineasFreak]

Originally Posted by Dustwave

In the UK go for Vodafone.

i would say go with orange - neither i nor anyone i've come across has ever had problems getting a signal or any network related problems whatsoever. and they seem to be pretty good on customer service too...

[Wadi]

Originally Posted by The Sacred Voice

"advice and experience"

my advice based on my own experiences is that if you buy an expensive phone, also buy insurance against loss, theft, breakage, including water damage (as cell phones seem to be pre-programmed to fall on toilets). Otherwise just buy a cheap cell phone that can be easily replaced.

[Thirst]

Get a Sony Ericsson phone. I got a w810i, yeah the camera isnt amazing and the screen resolution is small, but it'd survive a nuclear blast and its a peice of cake to use. The Walkman feature is the best by far, it's really well integrated software. The w810i has been superseded now, but you should still get an SE Walkman phone. Then just get a 4gb card and youre set.
As for networks, its youre going PAYG then T-Mobile offers the best rates overall. Not the cheapest in any one area, but realistically youll be calling loads of different networks and there it works out best. O2 is best for weekends mind you.

[Astral07]

@Dustwave, the U600's camera (which is 3.2mpx) is worse than the one on the w810i and that one is 2mpx, tho i don't know about the U700 but if it's the same...it sucks (ok, doesn't suck but...not what i expected)
@Thirst, i'd disagree on the ''not amazing'' camera on the w810i...it may only be 2mpx but the picture clarity is really good...and yes, i agree on the walkman thing...definitley one of the best,
example:
http://img66.imageshack.us/img66/333/dsc03227hx7.jpg - taken this summer with my w810i
and here's a close up: http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/9489/dsc00119em3.jpg

edit: oh yeah...i don't see why you wouldn't go a little higher and got w850 but it's not NECESSARY imo...but still...yeah, the w810 might be a little outdated

[Dustwave]

Originally Posted by Astral07

@Dustwave, the U600's camera (which is 3.2mpx) is worse than the one on the w810i and that one is 2mpx, tho i don't know about the U700 but if it's the same...it sucks (ok, doesn't suck but...not what i expected)

Well comparing pictures of my U700 to those of a friends W810i, i'd take the U700 any day. But i would say that SE generally seen has better cameras yes.

[Astral07]

and how about when you compare your pictures to the ones i posted?
did they do any changes stepping up from U600 to U700 regarding the camera? because seriously, i've had the U600 for like a week on testing and i did not like the camera because it was too...hm...you had to have the perfect conditions to make a good photo, and IRL those are not so often, and i was especially not satisfied with night pictures...
while the W810i provided more flexibility in that way, and pictures would just came out better in some situations

and btw. i didn't really like the touch pad...a little too slow for me - maybe i needed more time to adjust...i don't know

ps. don't get me wrong, i think the U700's great and i have nothing against it but i don't see it as a much of a step up from the w810i...

[JimProdz]

Originally Posted by Dustwave

battery problems.

[trance4ever]

wth is this question in Personal Life and Relationships

[Trance-Aholic]

Originally Posted by trance4ever

wth is this question in Personal Life and Relationships

That's what I was thinking

I'd go with a Sony Ericsson though.

[The Sacred Voice]

Originally Posted by trance4ever

wth is this question in Personal Life and Relationships

Yeh I did struggle trying to decide where to put this post and I did outline my decision in my opening post... basically I took a look at the Computers and Information Technology forum and it was filled with technical discussion on programming and technical solutions for computer-type things I kinda felt maybe that it was too... technical for it? Maybe that's not the right word but anyway I also looked at putting it in Science and Technology but again that just seemed too technical for it with discussions about cancer cures, cannabis and medicinal, self powered laptops and hologram technology... I will admit I just went to the forum to find those posts and they're all on the first page at the time of posting so it's not like I looked especially hard.
I felt that mobile phone ideas and discussion didn't fall into a casual enough forum?
Originally my idea for the Personal Life forum choice was cos in it's little sub-text underneath it it says:

Advice and Experience

well anyway if the mods want to move it then they can I don't really mind where this post is so long as people answer it... which they have!

Thanks to everyone that has answered my call for help I'll go over a few of the points raised:

Originally Posted by Dustwave

The question is, what are you looking for in a phone? Is a camera enough or do you want all the other mumbo jumbo aswell?

I'm a shameful materialist... I love owning some things just for the sake of owning them so if a phone comes with 150 extra things that there's no chance on earth of ever using them then that's all the better in my opinion... sad but true. Mind you the basic criteria of a nice camera built in still stands.

Originally Posted by Wadi

my advice based on my own experiences is that if you buy an expensive phone, also buy insurance against loss, theft, breakage, including water damage (as cell phones seem to be pre-programmed to fall on toilets). Otherwise just buy a cheap cell phone that can be easily replaced.

Very good point! Something I will probably look into.
Discussion's looking great so far thanks muchly guys - concerning networks I've also remembered that Virgin provide a network of their own but I am personally highly dubious of large corporations that trying dipping their fingers in too many pies thus resulting in a loss of quality overall but a wider variety of things from one store.
Thanks again

[JimProdz]

I was hinting in my "smiley-only" post that dustwave had a great point regarding batteries. I for one would be grateful if I could have my phone on for say 2 or 3 weeks (including semi-frequent use) or even a month before time to recharge.

My personal criteria for my next phone are probably: simple phone, great batteries.

[Keebou]

Originally Posted by Thirst

Get a Sony Ericsson phone. I got a w810i, yeah the camera isnt amazing and the screen resolution is small, but it'd survive a nuclear blast and its a peice of cake to use. The Walkman feature is the best by far, it's really well integrated software. The w810i has been superseded now, but you should still get an SE Walkman phone. Then just get a 4gb card and youre set.
As for networks, its youre going PAYG then T-Mobile offers the best rates overall. Not the cheapest in any one area, but realistically youll be calling loads of different networks and there it works out best. O2 is best for weekends mind you.

I have SE W810i too, and I`m happy with it. Camera could be better... but I`ve seen pictures, which were taken with newer camera drivers (made by somekind dude) and I was surprised, the quality was ya gut. Also there`s many soft which makes audio and other stuff it better

[wanderer]

Get a factory unlocked, quad band, GSM, SIM phone.

Order it online.

You can change carriers at your leisure, it is good all over the world (short of being a satellite phone $$$$), resale value is superior.

If you take and send lots of photos, try to get one with a flash.

A Micro SD memory slot is great too (removable storage for photos, recordings, etc.).

Make sure it has a computer interface of some sort (bluetooth &/or mini usb-usb).

[Jilly_baby]

http://wowdavao.com/catalog/images/S...on%20W580i.jpg

my phone i love it. pretty affortable too.. and bonus mp3 player

[Ardeent]

The plan to buy a new phone is a personal decision. To avoid wrong buying move, and to satisfy your need, you can do research in finding which is the best mobile phone just right for you. With a brand new phone plan, you need to budget the monthly costs. You will have to pay for the phone in advance. Even if you end up getting a refund to cover the cost of the cell phone, you will still need a personal loan to purchase the mobile phone in advance. (Payday Loan)

[3lysium_tiaz]

I would wait for the new SGS (Samsung GalaxyS) to come out, will be a bomb.